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Micro- and Nanoplastics in Drinking Water
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This review summarizes existing research on tiny plastic particles found in tap and bottled drinking water, how they get there, and how scientists detect them using methods like microscopy and spectroscopy. It discusses possible health concerns such as cellular stress and inflammation, along with treatment methods and policies being developed to address the problem.
Microplastics (MPs, <5 mm) and nanoplastics (NPs, <1 mm) have become common pollutants of water bodies like drinking water systems, heading to the question of human health and environmental safety. These particles are formed by the fragmentation of larger plastic waste, industrial activity, synthetic fabrics, plastic components, and packaging in the water distribution systems. They also get accumulated in drinking water sources by the discharge of wastewater, atmospheric deposition, surface runoff, and the degradation of plastic materials in the process of water treatment and distribution. A recent literature report suggests that MPs and NPs have been detected in tap and bottled drinking water both in the developed and developing worlds. Their identification and explanation are based on more sophisticated methods of analysis like Raman spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and microscopic analysis, though standardized sampling and analysis methods have not been well established and therefore remain a major problem for achieving reliable quantification and inter-study comparisons. Exposure to MPs and NPs is fundamentally created by consuming water and food that are contaminated. The plastic additives and adsorbed pollutants become toxic and colonized by microbes on the surfaces of the physically adsorbed particles. Although there is still developing evidence on the consequences on human health, research reveals that there are potential risks, including cellular stress, inflammation, and endocrine disruption. Different remediation and treatment methods are on trial to alleviate the presence of plastics in drinking water, such as advanced oxidation processes, membrane filtration, adsorption, and enhancement of wastewater and drinking water treatment systems. Simultaneously, regulatory and policy frameworks are gradually evolving to address plastic pollution by implementing policies and initiatives that reduce plastic waste at its source while promoting research and innovation for sustainable solutions. This chapter summarizes the origins of MPs and NPs in drinking water, how they occur, how they are detected, the possible health hazards, and possible remediation measures. It also emphasizes the regulatory trends, case studies, and recent government actions taken to watch and regulate plastic contamination to protect the quality of drinking water.
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